BHUBANESWAR: Some media entrepreneurs and builders, who on Tuesday were interrogated for their alleged links with the Artha Tatwa (AT) Group, washed their hands off the fraud and pleaded innocence.

Contrary to the bankrupt AT Group chief Pradip Sethi's statement to police that he diverted crores of rupees into real estate and other businesses and altogether 22 persons had financially benefitted from him, eight of them appeared before Kharvela Nagar police and claimed that the AT Group chief owes them money.

Bikas Swain, owner of an Odia daily, and Lipi Das, owner of an Odia news channel, denied striking any dubious deals with AT Group. "I received Rs 65 lakh towards advertisement from AT Group from 2011 till date. Sethi still owes me Rs 50 lakh. I showed the bills to police," Swain said.

Das' husband Manoj said, "We had a business relationship with AT. The company planned to start six TV channels. The company struck a Rs 90 lakh-deal with us to hire our technology to telecast his channels."

"AT gave us Rs 90 lakh as security deposit. But the company did not start any channel and blocked my telecast device. I incurred nearly Rs 3 crore loss due to the deal. We will move court, seeking the loss amount from AT Group," Das said.

City-based realtors and businessmen Satyabrata Dhir, Vineet Lalani, Sagar Ray, Dharmendra Bothra, Sanjay Panda and Ashis Dhal said the AT Group bagged the marketing rights of their real estate and other businesses, but did not pay them.

Dhir said Sethi owes him nearly Rs 3 crore. "He purchased several flats and plots from me, but did not pay me the whole amount," Dhir said. He, however, declined to divulge details about the dealings.

A few of them could not appear in the police station and instead sent their representatives (lawyers and chartered accountants) to face the grilling.

Odisha Cricket Association secretary Asirbad Behera is slated to appear at Kharvel Nagar police station on Wednesday. AT Group reportedly sponsored the Odisha Premier League (OPL). Sethi had allegedly given Rs 75 lakh to OCA for Ranji Trophy and another Rs 25 lakh for OPL, police said.

AT Group has been in the eye of the chit fund storm for allegedly embezzling public money to the tune of over Rs 500 crore by floating ponzi schemes and diverting the money into other businesses.

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Bhubaneswar: Kalinga Sena supremo Hemant Rath at a Press conference here on Tuesday alleged that the Kolkata-based Rose Valley company, which has also duped lakhs of Odia people of crores of rupees, has invested nearly Rs 50 crore in the Bhubaneswar-based real estate firm Utkal Builders.

BHUBANESWAR: Calling the response of the Naveen Patnaik Government to his continued plea to expose the chit fund scam as lackadaisical, former PCC president Niranjan Patnaik has reiterated his demand for an SIT probe under a High Court judge and constituting a corpus fund.

BHUBANESWAR: The newly-floated Samata Kranti Dal (SKD) on Tuesday alleged that Finance Minister Prasanna Acharya has links with Seashore company, which has duped common people of crores of rupees, and demanded his removal from the Cabinet.

BHUBANESWAR: The much-hyped fraud by AT Group has stirred public curiosity as it was evident during the interrogation of some influential builders, businessmen and media entrepreneurs, having alleged nexus with the company, at Kharvela Nagar police station here on Tuesday.

BHUBANESWAR: After AT Group's top bosses, police have now decided to turn the heat on agents, who lured gullible investors and collected huge amounts. Police sources said AT Group agents were getting the highest commission, nearly 40%, compared to other money circulation companies in Odisha.

BHUBANESWAR: State BJP president KV Singhdeo on Sunday held the government squarely responsible for the chit fund scam and said the judicial commission instituted by the government is a cover-up exercise. He kicked off the third leg of his statewide mass contact campaign from Keonjhar district.

A review by the collector’s office has found violations on a majority of plots allotted on lease in the suburbs. On plots where the lease has run out, violations have been detected in about 95% of the cases.

Marurai: Officials from the local planning authority (LPA) on Thursday sealed a multi-storeyed building in the city at Kalavasal that houses a retail supermarket, which was recently inaugurated. Official sources said that the building was constructed without adequate back space whereby rescue operations in case of emergencies would become difficult.

In a first, the Maharashtra Housing and Area Development Authority (Mhada) is planning to hold a second round of lottery for 2,450 under-construction flats around Diwali this year. The flats, which would be completed early next year, would be located in Virar, said Mhada vice-chairman Satish Gavai.